Mexico migrant centre fire: 'They didn't deserve to die this way'

When Orlando José Maldonado Pérez sent his household successful Venezuela a connection a week agone connected Sunday, helium was upbeat and afloat of hope.

The 26-year-old had arrived successful Ciudad Juárez, the Mexican metropolis conscionable crossed the US borderline from El Paso, Texas, conscionable 4 days previously.

His imagination was to marque it to the United States, and present helium felt helium was adjacent to achieving it. Excited astir the prospect, helium had sent his parent a dependable connection saying helium could spot the borderline fence.

Orlando was keen to debar immoderate trouble, his sister Mileyvi told the BBC. His purpose was to transverse into the US legally to gain a surviving truthful helium could supply his six-year-old lad with a amended life.

So mindful was helium of his information that helium decided to excavation the small wealth helium had near with a mates of chap Venezuelan migrants, to rent a country alternatively than enactment successful a hostel, wherever helium feared determination could beryllium "aggro".

When his household work connected Tuesday greeting that a deadly occurrence had breached retired the erstwhile nighttime successful a migrant centre successful Ciudad Juárez, they did not interest astatine first, reasoning helium was harmless successful the country helium had rented.

It was not until Wednesday greeting that different relatives spotted Orlando's sanction connected the database the Mexican authorities had published of the 68 migrants who had been wrong the installation astatine the clip of the fire, and alerted his parents.

The household recovered retired from Orlando's friends that helium had been detained by Mexican migration officials connected Monday astatine a thoroughfare country successful Ciudad Juárez, wherever helium had been selling sweets to beryllium capable to proceed paying for the country helium had rented.

Under Mexican law, anyone whose migration presumption is irregular tin beryllium detained. Orlando was taken to a centre tally by Mexico's Migration Institute conscionable southbound of the span connected the US-Mexico border.

As good arsenic lodging offices wherever migrants are processed, the gathering besides has areas wherever migrants are held down a locked compartment door.

It was successful the men's compartment wherever a occurrence broke retired connected Monday night, which killed 39 of the 68 migrants inside, including Orlando.

His 32-year-old sister Mileyvi says that not lone was his household successful full daze astatine the news, but besides astatine the mode they recovered retired astir her brother's decease - from acrophobic relatives who spotted his sanction connected the database of victims.

"No official, neither Venezuelan nor Mexican contacted us," she told the BBC from the authorities of Táchira successful Venezuela connected Friday.

Mileyvi says that erstwhile she contacted the Mexican embassy successful Caracas and the Venezuelan embassy successful Mexico, she was asked to supply photos of her member to assistance with the recognition of his body.

She says that astatine the clip she was besides not told wherever the assemblage of her member was, oregon what the origin of his decease was.

Nor was the household offered immoderate intelligence support, she says, aft they had seen video from a surveillance camera, which shows the infinitesimal the occurrence broke retired and which has been wide circulated connected societal media.

In it, 3 uniformed officials tin beryllium seen walking retired of the room, appearing to permission the migrants down arsenic the flames dispersed and the country rapidly fills with heavy fume which obscures the camera.

The video has nary sound, truthful it is not imaginable to ascertain what, if anything, was said arsenic the blaze erupted. It is besides unclear what the uniformed unit are doing erstwhile not connected camera.

Mexico's President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the occurrence had been started by 1 of the migrants arsenic a protestation "when they had learned they would beryllium deported".

The migrant suspected of starting the occurrence has been arrested. Four migration officials and a backstage information defender accused of failing to escaped those down bars person besides been detained.

The Mexican president said determination would beryllium a thorough probe and "no impunity" for those responsible.

Meanwhile, the Maldonado household is trying to travel to presumption with the information that Orlando is dead.

With the fig of fatalities provided by the Mexican authorities going up and down and up again successful the days aft the fire, Orlando's household astatine archetypal were inactive hoping against anticipation that helium could inactive beryllium alive.

"I kept holding retired anticipation that helium was alive, due to the fact that anticipation is the past happening you lose," his sister said.

After all, Orlando had survived different unsafe parts of the travel north. He had successfully crossed the heavy jungle that separates Colombia and Panama, known arsenic the Darién Gap, connected foot.

Mileyvi says it was not until Friday evening - 4 days aft the occurrence - that she yet received a telephone with authoritative confirmation of her brother's death.

She and her parents are haunted by the surveillance footage showing the migrants trying to unfastened the locked doorway of the cell.

"He was robbed of his life, helium couldn't adjacent combat for his life, helium was locked up and near to die.

"He ever wanted to bash everything the ineligible way, to get support to participate the US legally to articulation his older member there, past get a enactment licence truthful helium could gain and prevention capable to travel backmost to Venezuela to unfastened a car repair store here.

"My mum is successful pieces, she ne'er thought Orlando's beingness would travel to an extremity successful specified a cruel way, erstwhile helium was truthful adjacent to achieving his dream," Mileyvi says, struggling to clasp backmost the tears.

"I privation radical to recognize that those who died are not conscionable numbers, they're 39 quality beings who had dreams and goals. They are leaving down parents, siblings and children, and they didn't merit to dice this way."